Detection Properties of a Neutron Counter Based on Scintillator, Wavelength Shifter, and Photomultiplier

A simple neutron counter based on a scintillator strip, a wavelength shifter rod, and a photomultiplier was constructed in order to compare the properties of such a detector to a commercially available He counter. A calculation of the number of photons per absorbed neutron shows that with the bright Li Gd (11BO3)3 scintillator, light levels should be sufficient to perform pulse height discrimination. This has been experimentally demonstrated. Furthermore, the performance of this scintillation neutron counter has been measured in time-of-flight experiments where simultaneously the neutron spectra were recorded with a He proportional counter.